Saranac Lake Winter Carnival committee unveils new logo

October 18, 2013

SARANAC LAKE - Members of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Committee on Tuesday unveiled a new logo during their monthly meeting at the Saranac Lake High School.

The color logo - the previous official one was in black and white only - was designed by Saranac Lake artist-designer Kathy Ford and will be used as a keystone in the design for the new Winter Carnival website, which is currently under development and is expected to be launched by the end of the year.

The previous logo dates to 1991, and committee members were eager to create a fresh design in color, especially during the year of the website redesign. A small subcommittee of the larger Winter Carnival Committee started meeting in late spring to develop the new logo.

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"We were looking for something that would reflect the great heritage and history of Winter Carnival, touch on key aspects of Carnival, particularly the Ice Palace, and say something about where we live," said Mark Kurtz, of the logo subcommittee. "And we wanted it to say WINTER."

The logo committee sent requests to three local artists and designers early in the summer, and received a few designs. Ford submitted several initial designs, and committee members worked with her to finalize the logo.

"I am passionate about giving back to my community," Ford said, "so when the Winter Carnival committee asked if I would volunteer my time and creative services to design a new logo for this hugely popular, long-standing winter event in Saranac Lake, I was only happy to assist."

The design includes an image of the Ice Palace, which is the centerpiece of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, with white flags waving on the parapets below yellow stars in a blue night sky.

The words "Since 1897" anchor the bottom of the design.

"We really wanted to celebrate our history in this logo, so it was important that people know this winter carnival dates to the 1800s," Kurtz said. "Starting as a simple one-day event in 1897, the Winter Carnival has grown into a community-wide, 10-day festival that brings thousands of people to the village. The impact of Carnival on Saranac Lake is significant, and this new logo will help in marketing the event for many years."

The new logo is being trademarked and will be available for licensing on selected merchandise related to the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. Anyone interested should use the contact link on the website to get in touch with committee officials.